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A decades-old unproduced screenplay set during Japan’s 1868-’69 civil war has been dusted off and given thoroughly modern action-movie treatment in Kazuya Shiraishi’s “11 Rebels.” A highly entertaining and highly blood-drenched take on the trusty old tale of crooks and miscreants embarking on a military suicide mission on the promise of being pardoned should they happen to survive, “11 Rebels” has just the right balance of spectacular swordplay, revenge-fueled drama and double-crossing political intrigue.

After opening the Tokyo Film Festival, Shiraishi’s lusty samurai slash-’em-up will march into Japanese cinemas on Nov. 1. A slightly different version of the film has been acquired for North America by specialty distributor Well Go USA. Fans of FX’s smash-hit “Shogun” series should find plenty to like about this handsomely produced tale set in the dying days of feudal Japan. In the broader scope of samurai cinema, it combines the chamber...

"I'll always protect you." Warner Bros Japan has revealed their full official trailer for a live-action manga adaptation called Cells at Work!, arriving in Japanese theaters in December. This is a big screen version of a manga series written & illustrated by Akane Shimizu (first published in 2015). It was also made into an anime series already in 2018, though this is a full-on live-action version. "Welcome to the wonderland of the body's working cells!" Starring Mei Nagano and Takeru Satoh as cells AE3803 and U-1146, respectively, along with Sadao Abe as Shigeru Urushizaki and Mana Ashida as his daughter Niko Urushizaki. "This innovative series, which brings the inner workings of the human body to life by personifying cells, quickly captured the hearts of readers and became a sensation." With action scenes from action director Takahito Ouchi, known for the live action Rurouni Kenshin series and Yu Yu Hakusho. "A truly original visual...

The official website for the upcoming live-action film adaptation of Akane Shimizu's manga series Cells at Work! released a main trailer today featuring the theme song "50%" provided by the four-piece Japanese rock band Official Hige DANdism . Official Hige DANdism was formed in 2012 and is known for their theme song works among anime fans for Tokyo Revengers and Spy x Family (2022). Official Huge DANdism released a comment for the movie: Last year, we pushed our bodies too hard and were unable to perform live for a while. We are fine now, but "health comes first," when the phrase that we should be tired of hearing stuck with us, we received this offer, then we were flooded with ideas. Live every day while working on yourself with about 50% effort, Only at those moments when you can't compromise or when it's important, do your best or have fun. We put 100% of our passion into this song,...

The official website for the upcoming live-action film adaptation of Akane Shimizu's manga series Cells at Work! today announced nine additional cast members, which include: Helper T Cell played by Shota Sometani Hepatocytel played by Kyoko Fukada Junior Red Blood Cell played by Rihito Itagaki Senior Red Blood Cell played by Ryo Kato Shin Takeda played by Seishiro Kato Pneumonia Coccus played by Ainosuke Kataoka Streptococcus Pyogenes played by Shinya Niiro Staphylococcus Aureus played by Maju Ozawa ???? played by Fukase Among them, Fukase 's role is the only one not yet revealed. The character is introduced only as “the strongest enemy for the cells." This will be the second film appearance for Fukase, vocalist of the Japanese rock band Sekai No Owari , as an actor. He made his acting debut with the role of a serial killer in the 2021 suspense film Character , where he won the 45th Japan Academy...

The official website for the upcoming live-action film adaptation of Akane Shimizu's manga series Cells at Work! released a new poster visual today. The visual features the film's four main cast members: Mei Nagano as Red Blood Cell, Takeru Sato as White Blood Cell, Sadao Abe as Shigeru Urushizaki and Mana Ashida as Niko Urushizaki. There are at least 13 main cast members yet to be announced and will be added to the poster in the future. Related : Cells at Work! Live-Action Film Releases New Teaser Trailer Introducing Human Characters Additionally, a limited number of first-edition MoviTicke advance tickets will be available at theaters nationwide starting July 12. A card printed with the "World's Smallest Micro Poster," which is 1mm in height and is scheduled to be submitted to Guinness World Records, will be included as a bonus. Starting the same day, "The World's Smallest Poster" will be displayed in some theaters.

The official website for the upcoming live-action film adaptation of Akane Shimizu's manga series Cells at Work! has released a second teaser trailer introducing two human characters. For the first time in the series, it is revealed that the human world will be depicted. Sadao Abe plays Shigeru Urushizaki, a father who leads an inadequate life, and Mana Ashida plays Niko Urushizaki, his daughter who is a high school girl in excellent health. Additionally, it was revealed that the story of the movie will also be based on the spin-off manga series Cells at Work! Code Black in addition to the original Cells at Work! manga series. As reported , Mei Nagano plays Red Blood Cell and Takeru Sato as White Blood Cell. Hideki Takeuchi ( Thermae Romae live-action film) serves as director on a screenplay by Yuichi Tokunaga ( Kaguya-sama: Love is War live-action film). The movie is scheduled to release...

The Japan Academy Film Prize Association held the 47th edition of its awards ceremony on March 8, 2024. The nominees are selected by the Nippon Academy-Sho Association of industry professionals from the pool of film releases between January 1 and December 31, 2023 which must have screened in Tokyo cinemas.

Following its success at the recent Blue Ribbon Awards and leading with 12 nominations, Toho Studios' and Takashi Yamazaki's kaiju cinema masterpiece “Godzilla Minus One” takes top honours winning Picture of the Year and a slew of technical awards. Sakura Ando cements her place as one of Japan's top actresses securing both awards for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (for “Monster”) as well as Supporting Role (for “Godzilla Minus One”).

The full list of winners is described below.

Picture of the Year

Monster

Godzilla Minus One

Mom, Is That You?!

September 1923

Perfect Days

Animation of the Year

Kitaro Tanjo – GeGeGe no...

The Japan Academy Film Prize Association held the 46th edition of its awards ceremony on March 10, 2023. The nominees are selected by industry professionals from the pool of film releases between January 1 and December 31, 2022 which must have screened in Tokyo cinemas. Award categories are modelled after Hollywood's Academy Awards®.

Following its success at the recent Blue Ribbon Awards, and leading with 13 nominations in 12 categories, Kei Ishikawa's “A Man” walks away with 8 Japan Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress. The full list of winners is described below.

Picture of the Year

A Man

Shin Ultraman

Phases of the Moon

Anime Supremacy!

Wandering

Team from A Man Animation of the Year

Inu-Oh

Lonely Castle in the Mirror

Suzume

One Piece Film Red

The First Slam Dunk

Director of the Year

Kei Ishikawa – A Man

Takashi Koizumi – The Pass: Last...

One of the prestigious national cinema awards in Japan presented by the Association of Tokyo Film Journalists, the 65th edition of the Blue Ribbon Awards announced its winners on February 24, 2023. The nominees are selected from movies released in 2022 within the Tokyo Metropolitan Area. Leading with 6 nominations, A Man by Kei Ishikawa, wins Best Film while Plan 75 by Chie Hayakawa picks up Best Director and Best Actress for Chieko Baisho. The full list of winners is described below.

Best Film

A Man

Kingdom 2: To Distant Lands

Small, Slow But Steady

Missing

Silent Parade

Dr Coto’s Clinic

Plan 75

Motherhood

Fragments of the Last Will

Wandering

A Man Best Director

Kei Ishikawa – A Man

Shinzo Katayama – Missing

Takahisa Zeze – Tombi: Father and Son; Fragments of the Last Will

Chie Hayakawa – Plan 75

Ryuichi Hiroki – 2 Women, Motherhood; Phases of the Moon

Best Actor

Sadao Abe – Lesson in Murder; I am...

Click here to read the full article.

Veteran Japan-based production executive Bill Ireton is departing Sony Pictures International Productions to launch his own indie venture. Ireton says the new company will leverage his longstanding industry relationships in Tokyo and Hollywood to develop and produce content for multiple global platforms, primarily based on I.P. from Japan. The new venture, which hasn’t yet revealed its name, will begin operation on Jan. 1, 2023.

Ireton started local production for Warner Bros. in Japan in 2007, releasing 49 movies over a seven-year span, including the Rurou ni Kenshin trilogy; Unforgiven, directed by Sang-il Lee and based on the Clint Eastwood movie; and The Straw Shield, directed by Takashi Miike. He was also involved in the production of Eastwood’s Letters from Iwo Jima, starring Ken Watanabe.

During his four-year stint at Sony, Ireton shepherded production on features including Hell Dogs, starring Junichi Okada under the direction...

Tokyo-based production executive Bill Ireton is stepping down from his role at Sony Pictures International Productions, Japan, where he oversaw local production, to launch an independent production venture effective January 1, 2023.

The new venture will develop and produce content for multiple platforms, primarily based on Japanese I.P. for audiences around the world.

During his time at Sony, Ireton oversaw production on a slate of Japanese-language features, including Hell Dogs, starring Junichi Okada and directed by Masato Harada; I Am Makimoto, starring Sadao Abe, and Violence Action, which is currently streaming on Netflix.

“Making movies with Sony Pictures over the past four years has been a wonderful experience which has helped catapult this thrilling new chapter of my career,” said Ireton.

Sanford Panitch, President of Sony Pictures’ Motion Picture Group, said: “I want to thank Bill for his work the past few years. The making of Japanese films continues to be...

In terms of crime movies, the biggest name of the last decade in Japan is no other than Kazuya Shiraishi, with films like “The Devil’s Path”, and the “Wolves” duology highlighting the fact in the most eloquent fashion. As such, it is always a pleasure to watch another title of his in the category, even more so, since this time, it seems to have included elements from “The Silence of the Lambs” and particularly the concept of “When you dance with the devil, the devil doesn’t change. The devil changes you.”

“Lesson in Murder“ is screening at San Diego Asian Film Festival

Based on a novel by Riu Kushiki, the story revolves around the timid college student Masaya Kakei, who receives an invitation from a convicted serial killer, Yamato Haimura, whose bakery he used to frequent as a child. Through a series of flashbacks, we watch Haimura’s torturous killings,...

In terms of crime movies, the biggest name of the last decade in Japan is no other than Kazuya Shiraishi, with films like “The Devil’s Path”, and the “Wolves” duology highlighting the fact in the most eloquent fashion. As such, it is always a pleasure to watch another title of his in the category, even more so, since this time, it seems to have included elements from “The Silence of the Lambs” and particularly the concept of “When you dance with the devil, the devil doesn’t change. The devil changes you.”

Lesson in Murder is screening on New York Asian Film Festival

Based on a novel by Riu Kushiki, the story revolves around the timid college student Masaya Kakei, who receives an invitation from a convicted serial killer, Yamato Haimura, whose bakery he used to frequent as a child. Through a series of flashbacks, we watch Haimura’s torturous killings,...

Masaya Kakei (Kenshi Okada) is a university student who is dissatisfied with his life and gloomy about his future. He had failed to be accepted into his university of choice. One day, out of the blue, he receives a letter from convicted serial killer Yamato Haimura (Sadao Abe) who is on death row. Yamato once ran a bakery at Masaya’s hometown where the latter, then a middle school student, was a frequent customer. According to the letter, Yamato admits to his actions but insists he did not commit the last murder. Masaya begins to investigate and uncovers the devastating truth.

Directed by Kazuya Shiraishi (The Blood of Wolves and its sequel Last of the Wolves) with a screenplay by Ryo Takada, this psychological suspense thriller is adapted from the 2017 novel “Shikei ni Itaru Yamai” by Riu Kushiki. The film was released in Japan on May 6, 2022.

One day university student Masaya Kakei (Kenshi Okada) receives a letter from a man he does not know. The man, Yamato Haimura (Sadao Abe), is a serial killer facing the death penalty that asks to meet Masaya. Yamato tells Masaya that he committed all but the last murder that he was found guilty of committing, and urges Yamato to discover the identity of the other murderer.

The plethora of indie family dramas in the Japanese industry have a number of motifs in common. The accusation of the current generation towards the previous ones, the overall lack of parenting, that not all women are fit to become mothers and bullying are the most central ones. Tatsushi Omori, in his latest work, which is now streaming on Netflix, seems to have managed to include every one of them, in a film whose pragmatism is quite shocking even more so since it is based on an actual incident that took place in 2014.

The film shows its colors from the initial scene, where we see Akiko, a single mother, trying to get money from her parents and her hard-working sister, first by yelling and becoming violent and then by begging. However, they will not have none of it, since their patience is obviously exhausted, and a frustrated Akiko leaves along with her little son,...

In an interview with IndieWire back in 1996, one year before the death of the famous Zatoichi actor Shintaro Katsu, Takashi Miike said “I plan to make some sort of jidai-geki. Traditional with kimonos, swords and Samurais, as “Lone Wold and Cub” or “Zatoichi”. Its going to be for all of the family. It will be a mixture of Shakespeare and Samurais.” He intended to cast Takeshi Kitano for the lead, but Kitano wanted to direct the movie himself and so Miike got kicked out of the project that he once started. Kitano continued the production and finally released “Zatoichi – The Blind Swordsman” in 2003.

But Miike, not known for being work-shy, picks up his idea again in 2007 to direct a stage play with Sho Aikawa as Ichi. In addition to crowd-pleasers like “Crows Zero” (2007), “Sukiyaki Western Django” (2007), and “Like a Dragon” (2007), Miike’s turn to the traditional Japanese theatre, Kabuki, proofs...

Iyamisu is a subgenre of mystery fiction, which deals with grisly episodes and the dark side of human nature. The subgenre has been quite popular recently in Japan, particularly through the works of Mahokaru Numata, Kanae Minato and Yukiko Mari. Inevitably, it also found its way into the cinematic world, with films such as Minato’s “Confessions” and Numata’s “Birds Without Names”.

Birds Without Names is screening at Five Flavours

Towako lives an aimless life. She is still stuck thinking about her ex-boyfriend, Kurosaki, even though they have broken up 8 years ago, and despite the awful things he did to her, including a severe beating upon their break up. She lives with a man named Jinji, a worker who is 15 years older than she is, and whom she actually despises, constantly putting him down and slamming him verbally for his “vulgar” ways. The only reason she lives with him...

Starring Sadao Abe, Riho Yoshioka Written by Satoshi Miki Directed by Satoshi Miki Sin (Sadao Abe), a rock superstar, is screaming his lyrics to a sold-out crowd when his larynx suddenly erupts into a firehose of blood…and that’s not an exaggeration. After years of doping with vocal-enhancing steroids, Sin is now at risk of losing […]

The post Fantasia 2018: Louder! Can’T Hear What You’Re Singin’, Wimp! Review – Pure Insanity Turned Up to 11 appeared first on Dread Central.

It has been five years since the we last witnessed the unique cinema of Satoshi Miki, and this film proves that has been too long, from a director, who has made a significant contribution to the nonsense film, with productions like “Adrift in Tokyo”, “Turtles Are Surprisingly Fast Swimmers” and “Instant Swamp”. This particular movie continues in the aforementioned footsteps.

“Louder! Can’t Hear What You’re Singing, Wimp” is part of the Asian selection at Fantasia International Film Festival

Sin is a rock icon, a kind of Japanese Marilyn Manson whose charisma and powerful voice have propelled him to the top of the music scene. Sin, however, also hides a heavy secret: he regularly receives shots of steroids to boost his vocal chords. During a hectic concert, a stream of blood suddenly starts gushing out of his mouth, literally bathing the audience in it. Unfortunately, it’s not a stunt,...

The full Fantasia 2013 lineup has now been revealed, and we have here the third and final wave of titles to share. Prepare to drool!

From the Press Release:

The Fantasia International Film Festival is proud to announce the rest of our 120-feature lineup that comprises our 2013 event, along with a string of additional details that mark our 17th edition as a standout. Fantasia will engulf the city of Montreal from July 18-August 6, 2013. Be sure to visit the Fantasia Film Festival website for detailed essays on every title announced here, as well as all films previously disclosed over the last weeks.

Before we get started on titles... Meet Our 2013 Juries

Main Competition For The Cheval Noir Award For Best Film

Jury President: Laura Kern (Critic, Curator, managing editor, Film Comment)

Jean-Pierre Bergeron (Actor, Director, Screenwriter)

Samuel Jamier (Co-Director of the New York Asian Film Festival, Programmer at Japan Society)

Jarod Neece (Senior Programmer and Operations Manager,...

The Fantasia Film Festival is taking place from July 18th to August 6th in Montreal and will feature over 100 films from around the world. We gave you a look at the initial lineup last month and now have an additional list of Fantasia 2013 films that will be screening, including Curse of Chucky, You’re Next, and Frankenstein’s Army:

Horror Is Child’S Play – Don Mancini’S Curse Of Chucky (World Premiere)

A rarity among genre franchises, the Child’S Play series (begun in 1988) has retained the sure-handed guidance of original screenwriter/creator Don Mancini throughout killer doll Chucky’s decades’-long reign of horror. Mancini, who will be hosting our “scar-studded” world premiere, graduated to the director’s chair with 2004’s Seed Of Chucky, after having co-written or written every entry in the series. His longevity with the project is, of course, matched by the fiendish voiceover work by...

From Yahoo! Japan comes the trailer for Yume Uru Futari, the latest movie by director and screenwriter Miwa Nishikawa (Sway, Dear Doctor).

Takako Matsu and Sadao Abe star as Satoko and Kanya (or maybe Nukiya?), a married couple who live a happy life together running their small Tokyo eatery until they lose everything in a fire.

When Kanya spends the night with a regular customer, Satoko immediately comes up with a plan: she’ll have her husband commit marriage fraud to earn enough money to get back on their feet financially. Together, they take advantage of lonely women and swindle each out of large sums of money, but their activities soon begin to cast a shadow on their own relationship.

“Yume Uru Futari” will be released by Asmik Ace Entertainment in Japan on September 8, 2012.

Update: Replaced with a shiny new 1080p YouTube embed...

The official website for Toru Hosokawa’s upcoming island survival movie Paikaji Nankai Sakusen has been updated with a trailer.

Based on a 2004 novel by Makoto Shiina which has been described as modern spin on Robinson Crusoe, the film stars Sadao Abe as a cameraman named Sasaki who decides to take a trip to an island in southern Japan to cheer himself up after being laid off.

After he gets drunk with some campers one night, he wakes up to discover he’s been relieved of all his money and possessions. Later, he meets a young man from the city named Okkochi (Kento Nagayama), the Kansai dialect-speaking Apa (Shihori Kanjiya), and Kimi (Nozomi Sasaki) and the four of them begin a life of island survival together.

One day, Sasaki hears a rumor of the four homeless campers who stole his stuff, and he begins formulating an intricate plan to both...

What happens when teenage gangsters in Japan finally decide to grow up? They become ordinary working-class stiffs with angry kids of their own. Below you’ll find the new trailer for director Kazuyoshi Kumakiri’s upcoming drama “Blazing Famiglia”, a film that takes the teenage gangster genre and attempts to give it a fresh new coat of paint. I think the idea of a former gangster having to deal with hit punk-ass son is interesting, particularly since Kumakiri and company and providing plenty of action-packed tomfoolery. Here’s a synopsis, courtesy of Wildgrounds: Blazing Famiglia is the story of a former bike gang leader, now middle-aged with a rebellious kid, who reunites with his old friends only to rediscover the thrills of his youth. “Blazing Famiglia” stars Yoshimi Tokui, Kento Hayashi, and Sadao Abe. Look for the film to arrive in Japanese theaters on September 8th, 2012. The trailer resides below...

Today more cast members were announced for Miwa Nishikawa’s next film Yume Uru Futari. The new additions are Yusuke Iseya, Teruyuki Kagawa, and Tsurube Shofukutei.

Kagawa has previously worked with Nishikawa in both Sway and Dear Doctor, the latter of which starred Shofukutei.

Although Iseya hasn’t appeared in any of her films, they did work together on the set of Distance in 2001 when she was Hirokazu Kore-eda’s assistant director.

Today also saw the release of a new poster for the film. It features the two main stars—Sadao Abe and Takako Matsu—looking particularly shell-shocked with a small tagline under them which translates to something like “Humanity’s greatest enigma, man and woman”.

In the film, their characters are a married couple who conspire to commit marriage fraud. The targets of their scam are played by Lena Tanaka, Sawa Suzuki, Tae Kimura, Tamae Ando, and Yuka Ebara,...

Sadao Abe and Miho Kanno will be playing a married couple in an upcoming movie called Kiseki no Ringo (literally “Miracle Apples”), directed by Yoshihiro Nakamura (Fish Story, Golden Slumber).

The movie is based on a true story. Abe will play Akinori Kimura, an apple farmer who faces poverty and extreme pressure from those around him, causing him to contemplate suicide. Kanno plays his wife, Mieko.

The real Kimura first told his story on the Nhk program “Professional Shigoto no Ryuugi” and it was later adapted to a book titled “Kiseki no Ringo: Zettai Fukanō wo Kutsugaeshita Nōka - Kimura Akinori no Kiroku” which has sold over 600,000 copies. (And oddly enough, Yoko Ono has painstakingly translated the entire thing on her website.)

After Kimura’s wife experiences an extreme allergic reaction to agricultural chemicals, he’s faced with the seemingly impossible challenge of growing apples without the use of any pesticides.

The official website for Hideyuki Hirayama’s upcoming World War II film Oba: The Last Samurai has been updated with a full trailer.

Inspired by a novel authored by former U.S. soldier Don Jones, the film focuses on a Japanese captain named Sakae Oba, aka “Fox” (Yutaka Takenouchi) who leads on of the last remaining units in Saipan. Oba and his troops employed guerrilla tactics to hold out against overwhelming odds before finally surrendering in December 1945, 3 months after Japan had surrendered to Us forces.

Other cast members include Toshiaki Karasawa, Takayuki Yamada, Tomoko Nakajima, Mao Inoue, Yoshinori Okada, Sadao Abe, Hideyuki Hirayama, and Bengal. Sean McGowan, Treat Williams, and Daniel Baldwin play American soldiers.

Toho will be releasing “Oba: The Last Samurai” in Japan on February 11, 2011.

Thanks logboy and cinemaasia.

Here’s the first Japanese TV spot for Hideyuki Hirayama‘s upcoming World War II film Oba: The Last Samurai.

As reported by Tokyograph back in May, the film stars 39-year-old Yutaka Takenouchi as a Japanese captain known as “Fox” who fights relentlessly against American forces near the end of the war, even though defeat is all but assured.

The story was inspired by a novel authored by former U.S. soldier Don Jones which focused on Japanese captain Sakae Oba. Oba led one of the last remaining units in Saipan and employed guerrilla tactics to hold out against overwhelming odds before finally surrendering in December 1945, 3 months after Japan had surrendered to Us forces.

Other cast members include Toshiaki Karasawa, Takayuki Yamada, Tomoko Nakajima, Mao Inoue, Yoshinori Okada, Sadao Abe, Hideyuki Hirayama, and Bengal. Sean McGowan, Treat Williams, and Daniel Baldwin play American soldiers.

Toho will be releasing “Oba: The Last Samurai...

Here’s the first Japanese TV spot for Hideyuki Hirayama‘s upcoming World War II film Oba: The Last Samurai.

As reported by Tokyograph back in May, the film stars 39-year-old Yutaka Takenouchi as a Japanese captain known as “Fox” who fights relentlessly against American forces near the end of the war, even though defeat is all but assured.

The story was inspired by a novel authored by former U.S. soldier Don Jones which focused on Japanese captain Sakae Oba. Oba led one of the last remaining units in Saipan and employed guerrilla tactics to hold out against overwhelming odds before finally surrendering in December 1945, 3 months after Japan had surrendered to Us forces.

Other cast members include Toshiaki Karasawa, Takayuki Yamada, Tomoko Nakajima, Mao Inoue, Yoshinori Okada, Sadao Abe, Hideyuki Hirayama, and Bengal. Sean McGowan, Treat Williams, and Daniel Baldwin play American soldiers.

Toho will be releasing “Oba: The Last Samurai...

Back in December, it was announced that a new film adaptation of Fumi Yoshinaga’s Ooku manga was in the works and that it would star Kou Shibasaki and Arashi’s Kazunari Ninomiya in the two lead roles. Then in February, a new batch of co-stars was announced including Maki Horikita, Hiroshi Tamaki, Sadao Abe, and Tadayoshi Okura (of Kanjani8).

Today it was revealed that the cast will also include Kuranosuke Sasaki, Emi Wakui, Mitsuko Baisho, Muga Takewaki, and Aoi Nakamura, among others.

The film is set in an alternate an alternate version of Japan in which a disease has drastically decreased the male population, turning the nation into a matriarchal society in which young men are treated as a precious commodity never to be risked in sports or war. Within the story, gender roles and names are typically reversed. Ninomiya stars as a commoner named Mizuno who enters the...

Nippon Cinema has found the first full (and crazy) trailer for the Japanese comedy Nakumonka (No More Cry) from director Nobuo Mizuta and writer Kankuro Kudo who already brought us a little gem called Maiko Haaaan!!!.

[See post to watch Flash video] Synopsis via AsianMediaWiki:

Two brothers were abandoned and separated when they were still small. Despite their unhappy childhood, they promise themselves that they will not cry and remain strong and optimistic…

The big brother, Yuta (Sadao Abe), was raised by the owner of a deli, and he works like crazy to show his gratitude to the adoptive father. He even does other menial chores for the people in the neighborhood, and becomes known as an ultimate people pleaser.

The little brother, Yusuke (Eita), is now half of a popular comic duo called the Kinjo Brothers. Even though the “Brothers” are not related at all, a tearjerker autobiography which contains completely false accounts of their childhood becomes the best-seller,...